The Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery (CFNFH) has been partnering with Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR) doing bog turtle survey work in the North Georgia Mountains for the past several years. The Southern population of bog turtles is considered threatened by similarity. The CFNFH crew built an artificial mountain bog to house bog turtles on the facility. Five turtles were received from the Knoxville Zoo back in 2015 in hopes of creating a breeding program at the hatchery. This year’s survey work served to capture wild turtles to build a breeding program at the hatchery which resulted in the “pairing up” of three of the five turtles. With survey work having started late this year, the three wild turtles will over-winter with their perspective mates until next spring. Hopefully, if everything goes well, we will be seeing nests in the artificial bogs next spring.
Bog Turtle Love
